Chronic pain of endometriosis often dismissed

(Sawyer Bogdan/ Global News) — After struggling with debilitating pain her whole life, Tara DeMerchant is grateful to finally have answers, but angry it took almost 30 years to get help.

The 44-year-old from Bala, Ont., which is an hour north of Barrie, was recently diagnosed with endometriosis.

DeMerchant says she struggled with pain since she was 14, self-medicating with cannabis to cope with pain that only got worse as time went on.

“It’s debilitating. I have days where I can’t get out of bed. I puked for weeks at a time, and I wouldn’t wish this on anybody,” she recounts.

For years, she says doctors brushed off her pain as just being her period, despite it last lasting the whole month in some cases. (…)